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Hyderabadi Irani chai
Creamy milk tea
ईरानी चाय: thick, creamy dum-brewed tea with slow-reduced milk
Irani chai came to Hyderabad with Persian migrants who opened cafés across the old city, and it is now the city's signature drink, poured at all hours in places around the Charminar, often with Osmania biscuits or a bun maska. Unlike masala chai, it has no spices: strong tea is brewed slowly in a sealed pot (dum), while full-fat milk is simmered separately with a little khoa until thick and creamy. The two are mixed only in the cup, giving a rich, mellow, slightly sweet tea. Chef's tip: seal the tea pot lid with a little dough or foil, as the cafés do, so the brew steeps without losing steam or strength.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the tea decoction
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp sugaror to taste
For the milk
- 2 ½ cups full-fat milk
- 1 oz khoa (mawa), crumbledor 3 tbsp milk powder
- 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 2 cups water to the boil in a small pan with 3 tbsp sugar. Add 3 tbsp strong loose black tea (Assam dust or CTC), stir, and boil for 1 minute. Cover the pan tightly (seal the lid with foil), turn the heat to its lowest and let it steep for 20–25 minutes; it will turn very dark and strong.
25 minStep 2: Meanwhile, bring 2 ½ cups full-fat milk to the boil in a wide, heavy pan, then lower to a gentle simmer. Stir in 1 oz khoa (mawa), crumbled and 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk if using and simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring and scraping down the skin from the sides, until it has reduced by about a third and looks creamy and ivory-coloured.
25 minStep 3: Common mistake: boiling the tea leaves in the milk as for everyday chai. The point of Irani chai is that the tea and milk are cooked apart, so the tea stays strong and the milk stays sweet and smooth.
Step 4: Strain the tea decoction. Pour about 3 tbsp of decoction into each cup, then fill up with the hot milk, pouring from a height so it froths. Taste and adjust: more decoction for a stronger cup.
Step 5: Serve straight away with Osmania biscuits.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hyderabadi Irani chai take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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Perfect for:Tea-time